Oops, it was yesterday evening, 23rd March. So I need to talk to everyone at home and see if they are up for our own Earth Hour sometime this week.
When I lived in a small studio in Paris I was very money conscious, ie I had nearly none. I made sure that only 1 or 2 light bulbs were on at one time, maximum. Now I can look around me in this kitchen and see 8 burning away. 2 sets of 3 spot lights plus 2 single brighter lamps.
Even with all these lights it seems difficult to see properly at the table sometimes. We did a jigsaw a couple of nights ago and I was really peering at the pieces to see them.
Monday, 25 March 2013
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Slowing down the process - Cypherpunks
This is one of the aims of controlling governments when they look at the internet and see how it is being used by the population. I am watching the latest Julian Assange video discussion with fellow internet experts/Cypherpunks.
As I learn about how bad governments operate, I see more clearly how I as a Western mother use all these tricks in my own household.
Of course I aim to slow down the process of my children doing certain things, I am expected to by society and I expect it of myself in an unthinking way which reflects or channels the default setting of my society.
My middle name is Machiavelli. I am shocked as I go along to see how deeply embedded this attitude is in my way of life. I see I have islands of clarity, compassion, understanding and faith which I could call thinking. All the rest is unthinking.
Even in the Financial Times I saw an article which acknowledged the dictatorial nature of businesses. I will add family life to this too. I am used to being shocked at myself now. So many of the ways of dictatorship are simply expanded versions of family life. "We always do this." "I am off to play croquet now." "We shall have a stairlift from the first floor onwards, but not up to the first floor." The silences of topics which are not safe to discuss. The getting used to things which you shouldn't get used to, but have to, in order to survive. The not rocking the boat. The waiting for a good moment which never comes. The patience or endurance. Others probably have to use these techniques with me too.
'"You have to be the change you want to see in the world", as Gandhi said, and, you have to be the trouble you want to see in the world too.' Great final statement from one of the contributors to the filmed conversation.
---
I wrote this a while ago, but it seems interesting to me, so I'll post it.
As I learn about how bad governments operate, I see more clearly how I as a Western mother use all these tricks in my own household.
Of course I aim to slow down the process of my children doing certain things, I am expected to by society and I expect it of myself in an unthinking way which reflects or channels the default setting of my society.
My middle name is Machiavelli. I am shocked as I go along to see how deeply embedded this attitude is in my way of life. I see I have islands of clarity, compassion, understanding and faith which I could call thinking. All the rest is unthinking.
Even in the Financial Times I saw an article which acknowledged the dictatorial nature of businesses. I will add family life to this too. I am used to being shocked at myself now. So many of the ways of dictatorship are simply expanded versions of family life. "We always do this." "I am off to play croquet now." "We shall have a stairlift from the first floor onwards, but not up to the first floor." The silences of topics which are not safe to discuss. The getting used to things which you shouldn't get used to, but have to, in order to survive. The not rocking the boat. The waiting for a good moment which never comes. The patience or endurance. Others probably have to use these techniques with me too.
'"You have to be the change you want to see in the world", as Gandhi said, and, you have to be the trouble you want to see in the world too.' Great final statement from one of the contributors to the filmed conversation.
---
I wrote this a while ago, but it seems interesting to me, so I'll post it.
Friday, 22 March 2013
I find it easier to do my Arabic homework now
For some reason I'm better at doing a bit of work each day. If I miss a day or three I can open my small diary with the tasks I have picked out and start on today's task. Today I was at the garage for a while, so practiced some new vocab with my italic pen. I'm being easy on myself and just copying the words, not covering them up and writing them out from memory.
After each week's class I put small tasks in that little diary, based on what we did in class and the set home work for next week.
Really, I am afraid that all this work will go down the drain if I don't keep on working at it. I am worried about not being able to find a class of some sort to go to from May until next October, when the next set of classes will start. Holidays are no fun for people learning a new language! They mean 'goodbye vocab'.
After each week's class I put small tasks in that little diary, based on what we did in class and the set home work for next week.
Really, I am afraid that all this work will go down the drain if I don't keep on working at it. I am worried about not being able to find a class of some sort to go to from May until next October, when the next set of classes will start. Holidays are no fun for people learning a new language! They mean 'goodbye vocab'.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
70's Drinks Parties
I keep on getting these flashbacks to the drinks parties my grandparents used to give when I was quite young.
I can practically smell the cigarette and cigar smoke, the loud foreign language chatter, the way the coats would all be piled up on the chairs around the dining room on the ground floor. The noise level was off the scale, no music, just talking very loudly, laughing, telling stories, very exuberant and happy.
There would be the noise radiating from the drawing room, so as I walked up and down the stairs with new guests we could hear it from the calm of the front door and the hall.
My brother and I used to help with opening the door and handing round the little things to eat. It seems like a vanished world now. I somehow assume that everyone else has these memories from when they were growing up, but of course they don't necessarily.
I can practically smell the cigarette and cigar smoke, the loud foreign language chatter, the way the coats would all be piled up on the chairs around the dining room on the ground floor. The noise level was off the scale, no music, just talking very loudly, laughing, telling stories, very exuberant and happy.
There would be the noise radiating from the drawing room, so as I walked up and down the stairs with new guests we could hear it from the calm of the front door and the hall.
My brother and I used to help with opening the door and handing round the little things to eat. It seems like a vanished world now. I somehow assume that everyone else has these memories from when they were growing up, but of course they don't necessarily.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Uta Frith
I have spent a bit of the evening knitting and watching the last in a series of music programmes with my mother in law next door. It's good to have a weekly meet up planned like this.
Then she plied me with Ovaltine and we had a catch up chat. She told me about Uta Frith being on Desert Island Discs last Friday and how she has a book coming from Amazon written by her, on autism/aspergers. Given the sheer number of autism books I have stacked up on the top floor it is amazing that I haven't read anything by her as yet.
So I did a little search and have emailed 2 interviews to her to listen to if she wishes. I am putting them here for others to learn from and for me to have them at my finger tips.
Desert Island Discs from Feb 2013
A Life Scientific from Dec 2012
I am listening to the Discs programme right now.
............
Now I have had a look at the write ups of her books on Amazon. I am not so sure about her approach. That must be why I do not have any of her books. I think I benefit much more from the blogs I have found which have a similar way of viewing the world to myself. Hmm, I'm trying hard not to be picky and critical. I have very different views. On matters this important I stick to my guns.
I think I have focused most closely on books which have been immediately helpful to our lives over the past few years, I junk other stuff, no matter how interesting the research. I can watch individual bloggers develop their thinking, but I do not watch professional researchers hone their thoughts. It is a different process and does not help me.
Then she plied me with Ovaltine and we had a catch up chat. She told me about Uta Frith being on Desert Island Discs last Friday and how she has a book coming from Amazon written by her, on autism/aspergers. Given the sheer number of autism books I have stacked up on the top floor it is amazing that I haven't read anything by her as yet.
So I did a little search and have emailed 2 interviews to her to listen to if she wishes. I am putting them here for others to learn from and for me to have them at my finger tips.
Desert Island Discs from Feb 2013
A Life Scientific from Dec 2012
I am listening to the Discs programme right now.
............
Now I have had a look at the write ups of her books on Amazon. I am not so sure about her approach. That must be why I do not have any of her books. I think I benefit much more from the blogs I have found which have a similar way of viewing the world to myself. Hmm, I'm trying hard not to be picky and critical. I have very different views. On matters this important I stick to my guns.
I think I have focused most closely on books which have been immediately helpful to our lives over the past few years, I junk other stuff, no matter how interesting the research. I can watch individual bloggers develop their thinking, but I do not watch professional researchers hone their thoughts. It is a different process and does not help me.
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